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Several years ago I had the opportunity to write a book entitled The Devil Goes To Church. It’s been interesting to watch the responses of people who see the title for the first time. Most of them say, “The devil sure does go to church… especially mine.” Why this overwhelming awareness that Satan is somehow interested in what happens in churches? Maybe it’s because we’re seeing his hand at work in the church. This excerpt helps us understand why Satan is interested in your church and four ways that he attacks local congregations. There is a very real reason why the devil goes to church. The Biblical worldview is of a great cosmic battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. Christians are those who have changed sides in the battle. Paul writes about this changing of sides in the second chapter of Ephesians: “…in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (vv. 2-5). The enemy of our God has become our enemy. We are not in a neutral position. When Christians gather as the church, we become a real threat to Satan. We are there to worship, to pray, to teach and to encourage one another to live and proclaim the Kingdom of God and as such, proclaim the enemy’s defeat. It is apparent that he will do all he can to prevent that from happening…. The real danger for us is being unaware of the enemy’s schemes. We approach every difficulty in church as though it is just a natural thing. When churches divide over whether or not to use hymns or contemporary choruses, it is not natural. When the flock turns on the shepherd, it is not natural. When the saints, called to live in love, spend their time criticizing and accusing one another, it is not natural. The devil has come to church! …There is one obvious thing about Satan’s attacks – he is consistent. He does basically the same thing over and over again in church after church, down through the ages. We might categorize them in these memorable ways: Doubt, Deceit, Discouragement, Division. Doubt Sowing doubt has been one of the enemy’s weapons from the very beginning. In Eden, the serpent stirred up doubt in Eve, causing her to sin. He caused her (and Adam) to doubt God’s word, asking the insidious question, “Has God said…?” You can almost hear the oily voice continuing, “You don’t really believe that do you?” The same voice, the very same voice, is asking the same question today, causing Christians to begin to doubt God and His Word. Doubt was the weapon Satan used against Jesus in the wilderness. Every temptation was preceded by the word, “if.” “IF You are the Son of God,” the enemy whispers, attempting to instill doubt into Jesus. He still uses the same attack. Doubt can come in many forms. Sometimes it is the frontal attack on the veracity of the Bible. There are many in church who simply do not believe that all of the Bible is truly God’s inspired Word. But sometimes the most vicious attack comes on those who do believe in the Bible, but are then led into doubt as to the power of God’s Word. “Will that really work?” people ask. Whole segments of Scripture are robbed of their power as Christians relegate them to some other day or time, and fail to appropriate them for themselves. Be careful when trying to explain away a clear meaning of Scripture. It may be that the enemy is raising doubts. Doubt is also raised as to the nature of God. When tragedies come in life (and they do), even Christians find themselves doubting the love or mercy of God. “How could a loving God cause (or allow) such a thing to happen?” The whispering enemy is again at work to cause God’s people to doubt the goodness or power of their God. We’re sometimes told that to doubt is natural. Not for those who have tasted of the goodness, mercy and power of God! Faith is the natural response to God. Look at Job and the almost inconceivable tragedy that changed his life. Though facing great loss and with tremendous grief, still he words one of the great faith responses in Scripture, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Doubt also comes to the individual believer regarding his/her position in Christ. The enemy continually works at trying to separate us from Christ. He doesn’t have the power to actually do that, but he tries to instill doubt in us as to who we are in Christ. The best way to counter that is with the truth of God’s Word. Christian author, Neil Anderson has written much on this topic and has prepared a wonderful list of scriptures that affirm who we are in Christ: John 1:12 – I am God’s child.• John 15:15 – I am Christ’s friend.• Rom. 5:1 – I have been justified.• 1 Cor. 6:17 – I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit.• 1 Cor. 6:20 – I have been bought with a price; I belong to God.• 1 Cor. 12:27 – I am a member of Christ’s Body.• Eph. 1:1 – I am a saint.• Eph. 1:5 – I have been adopted as God’s child.• Eph. 2:18 – I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.• Col. 1:14 – I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.• Col. 2:10 – I am complete in Christ. Deceit A second weapon that Satan uses against the Church is deceit. This should not surprise us since Jesus Himself described Satan as a liar. Satan delights in twisting the truth, confusing people and leading them into error. That’s rather obvious when you look at the condition of Christian doctrine, both within and without the Church. It may be as subtle as the lack of understanding concerning Christian grace or as obvious as those who deny the inspiration of the Bible. The Apostle Paul speaks of difficult times for the Church in the last days, especially in regard to truth. We are warned of those who are “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth, men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected” (2 Timothy 3:7-8). This passage is so clearly being lived out in the Church today, that we can easily see the enemy’s handiwork. There is no shortage of Bible studies in our churches. But we debate the meaning rather than living out the intent of God’s Word. We have fallen into the trap that James warned us about: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Studying Scripture without doing it is one of Satan’s great deceits. This deception concerning the Word of God leaves the Church powerless and unable to function as God has intended. George Otis, Jr. delivers a scathing indictment of this powerlessness as follows: “If ever there was a moment for the Church to stand up and be counted, that moment is now. Unfortunately, American Christendom is in the midst of a low, debilitated spiritual state. At almost every turn, supernatural power and insight have given way to religious inertia. Fellowships are growing numerically, but members are not maturing in character. There are programs aplenty, but little fear of God. Most ominously, modern believers seem oblivious to their own unhealthy condition. Having succumbed to the Laodicean Syndrome (see Revelation 3:14-17), they view their compromised state as normal – even blessed. “A troubling, if predictable, consequence of this spiritual self-deception is that the Church has found itself unable to speak into the current crisis with any clarity or consistency. Burdened political leaders seeking direction from Christian clergy and prayer networks report receiving advice that ‘wanders all over the map.’ Needing wise men with keen understanding, these national decision makers are finding instead blind guides and flesh-clouded counsel” (George Otis, Jr. “Fading Light,” January 2003). Discouragement One of the main passages of Scripture that we often use to hit people over the head with to get them to attend church is Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The focus of the passage however is not merely attending a meeting, but in the process, encouraging one another. One of the very practical reasons for this scriptural command is to counter the enemy’s strategy of discouraging the believers. Many faithful Christians who have withstood the more frontal attacks of Satan in the area of morality, truth and righteous living, have found themselves blind-sided by discouragement. A few words of criticism here and there, a “down” day, a little loss of fresh vision, a program that didn’t go according to plan, and suddenly we find ourselves discouraged and wondering if we can go on. Many great women and men of God have had severe bouts with discouragement and depression. Perhaps the clearest example is that of Elijah following his great victory over the prophets of Baal. In the wake of that victory, Queen Jezebel ordered his execution. In fear, Elijah ran and ended up in this situation in 1 Kings 19:4: “He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’” Now that is serious discouragement from a great man of God. It took the intervention of the Lord Himself to bring Elijah out of that depressed mood. You may not have sat under a tree with a desire to die, but discouragement can hit us all. The great word of God to the Church in this case is that we are called to be an encouragement to one another. We are to build one another up in our faith. Our gatherings need to be times of great encouragement. The church that is a place of support and edification is a place where the enemy’s plans have been thwarted. There is an old story about discouragement called, “The Devil’s Tool Sale”: “It was advertised that the devil was putting his tools up for sale. On that date the tools were laid out for public inspection. They had prices on them, and there were a lot of treacherous instruments: hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, pride, lying, and so on. Laid apart from the rest of the devil’s tools was a harmless-looking tool, worn more than any of the others and priced very high. “‘What’s the name of this tool?’ asked one of the customers. “‘That,’ the devil replied, ‘is discouragement.’ “‘Why have you priced it so high?’ “‘Because discouragement is more useful to me than all the others. I can pry open and get inside a man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with any other tools. It’s badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me.’” When we begin to understand that discouragement is of the enemy, we can begin to counter it using the weapons of our warfare. It is not natural for a Spirit-filled child of God to walk around discouraged. This is an attack of Satan to put us on the sidelines. Division Francis Frangipane writes, “If there ever was a false doctrine that was so widespread, so accepted in the Body of Christ, yet so contrary to the heart and teachings of Christ, it is the tradition of division within the Church” (Becoming the Answer to Christ’s Prayer, p. 2). One of the most effective strategies of Satan has been to bring about division in the Body of Christ. It makes sense that the enemy would push for a splintered, divided Church, since Jesus desired exactly the opposite. The main focus of Jesus’ great high priestly prayer of John 17 was that His followers would be united. A strong, united Church is a testimony to the world of the love of God. Satan is doing all he can to destroy that testimony. One of the main weapons we have against this attack is awareness of the enemy’s schemes. If we are unaware of the satanic nature of division, there is a greater tendency toward excusing it or just assuming that this is one of those things that happens occasionally in the church. When we see clearly though, that we as a church are under attack, then we will determine at all costs to guard against division. Members of a congregation are well-prepared to resist the enemy when, finding themselves in times of conflict, they begin to ask the question, “What is the enemy trying to do here?” Then, turning to the Lord, they ask the most important question, “Lord, how do we counter the attacks of the enemy against Your people?” When a church finds itself facing issues that bring division, the prayer meeting is far more effective than the board meeting. Division always has a spiritual issue at its root and the enemy is always involved. It is heartfelt, heaven-sent prayer by the Body of Christ that will rout the devil and deal with the issues that are at hand. I’ll never forget a church where I taught a prayer seminar in central Indiana. I’m so grateful I got there early that Sunday morning. As I walked into the church sanctuary, I was amazed to see about a dozen men walking around the room praying. They were laying hands on the pews and walking to the four corners of the room, praying for a new awareness of the Lord’s presence, a fresh moving of His Spirit, and for protection from the attacks of the enemy. What a powerful way for a group of Christian leaders to go on the offensive against Satan and to keep the devil from their local congregation. How will you take your stand against the enemy? Excerpted from The Devil Goes to Church: Combating the Everyday Attacks of Satan by David Butts

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6–7). There is a movement of prayer, firmly rooted in Scripture, taking place all over the planet. It is the call of God to His people to take their places on the walls as watchmen. Whether we look to the Old Testament or the New, we find God is calling us to watch and pray. Our modern culture does not readily identify with the ancient concept of watchmen on the walls. We need to train ourselves in what it means to be a part of this great company of the “alert.” It is clear from the Isaiah 62 passage that the job of a watchman is a continual commitment. It is not sporadic. It does not depend upon feelings. Because of the life-or-death nature and constancy of the watchman’s task, it is an assignment for the many, not just the one. Isaiah describes an intensity that must be shared--day and night, never silent, no rest. Groups of committed believers who band together in watchful prayer will be able to stay at their post. Notice also in this passage that it is God who posts the watchmen. This is a divine assignment, not just the latest prayer fad. To stand on the wall as a watchman, stationed there by the Lord Himself, is a great privilege. We need to receive and obey such a call with gratitude and humility. Perhaps the overwhelming characteristic of watchman prayer is that it is to be done with open eyes. This does not necessarily imply physical eyes (although it certainly can), but we must hold our spiritual eyes wide open. What Do Watchmen Look for? What are we, as watchmen looking for as we pray? First, we watch for an enemy attack. Certainly in Old Testament times, this sort of defensive watchfulness was at the heart of the task. The watchman on the wall was always on the alert for any attempt of an enemy to attack or infiltrate the city. Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul wrote that we are “not unaware” of the enemy’s schemes. If praying watchmen are not on duty, we often fail to see the enemy’s attempts to disrupt and destroy our churches and cities. Second, I believe that as watchmen, we are also to keep our eyes open to see and discern moves of God. The watcher should always be asking, “Lord, what are You doing in our church or city this day? Is there something You are calling Your people to do in cooperation with what You are doing?” What Results Can We Expect? According to Isaiah, one of the results of the watchmen’s prayers is that we will see the firm establishment of the Kingdom of God. The prophet speaks of the establishment of Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God among His people. In both the Old and the New Covenant, Jerusalem represents God among man. Jesus’ main message was the coming Kingdom, present in Him. Emmanuel—God with us! Another result of this powerful prayer movement is that the glory of God will be seen among the nations. As we watch and pray, we find ourselves lining up with the prophet Habakkuk and crying out for the glory of God to cover the earth “as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). Prayer warriors, it is time to ascend the walls of your city and begin to fulfill your calling as watchmen of God.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2). Devotion to prayer was one of the marks of the early Church. In Acts 2:42, Luke lists four areas of devotion that marked the Jerusalem church: Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. The rest of Acts demonstrates their devotion, as a praying Church breaks out of Judea and embarks upon its mission to the world. God’s call to His people today is for nothing less than that demonstrated by the first believers. Through dependence upon His power through prayer, we establish His kingdom in the lives of men and women everywhere, seeing Christ’s kingdom advance among the nations. In Colossians 4:2, Paul’s command for us to be devoted to prayer is sharpened by the phrase, “being watchful.” Watchful praying is a more intense, more kingdom-focused type of prayer. All too often our prayers can be a reflection of an unfocused, bland faith. We ask little, expecting little, and what we do ask for is more about our own desires than the purposes and plans of God. Watchful praying takes effort. It is an aggressive sort of prayer life, recognizing that life is lived out in the midst of a battleground. Watching and praying is a lifestyle focusing on seeing the kingdom of Christ advance and knowing that our prayers are a vital part of what God is doing on planet earth. Watch God To watch and pray first of all means that we watch God. As we draw near in intimacy and see how God is moving, we pick up divine cues from Him as to how we should pray. Scripture speaks much of keeping our eyes on the Lord: “O my Strength, I watch for You; You, O God, are my fortress…” (Psalm 59:9). “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me”(Micah 7:7). “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what He will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint”(Habakkuk 2:1). “It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:34-37). Watch What Is Happening Around You God’s Word also tells us to watch what is happening around us, and sometimes even within us. There is to be an awareness of our surroundings and what God might be doing in them, so that we can pray with greater effectiveness. Here are just a few of the Scriptures that point to this way of watching and praying: “Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told”(Habakkuk 1:5). “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come”(Matthew 24:42). “Then He said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.’ Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘MyFather, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’ Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?’ He asked Peter. ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak’” (Matthew 26:38-41). “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deuteronomy 4:9). God Is a Watcher One of the most fascinating aspects of watchful praying is how closely it ties us to the very nature and activity of God Himself. God is a watcher! Again and again in the Bible we read of how He watches over the affairs of both nations and individuals. He calls us to join Him on His watch…to devote ourselves to watch and pray that we might participate with our Lord in His purposes. What an amazing privilege! Carefully consider these Scriptures that point to God on His watch: “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you”(Genesis 28:15). “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you”(Psalm 32:8). “He rules forever by His power, His eyes watch the nations – let not the rebellious rise up against Him”(Psalm 66:7). “The LORD will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore”(Psalm 121:7-8). “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good”(Proverbs 15:3). Would you today join with a watching God? He is calling His people to such an intimate place with Him that we begin to see some aspects of what He is seeing as He allows us that privilege. Our watching is for the purpose of praying into our world the purposes and plans of God. How amazing is the grace and calling of God that He would grant us the joy and favor of laboring alongside Him through watchful praying!

In May of 1995, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend several weeks in South Korea for a missions conference. One of the highlights of my time there was to worship at the world’s largest church. Pastor David Yonggi Cho’s Yoido Full Gospel Church with its 800,000 members is an amazing thing to see. The role of prayer in its establishment and growth is well-known. What may not be so known is the role of the Lord’s Watch, or continual prayer. Yoido Full Gospel has several prayer mountains that are full, day and night with Christians praying. I spent several days on one of the Korean prayer mountains and was amazed at the passion and intensity of the prayer that was ongoing. Even for those who do not go to the prayer mountain, there are opportunities to spend the night in prayer. Every Friday night, the 25,000 seat sanctuary is filled with Christians who spend the night together in prayer. God has honored that kind of “all-out” praying by blessing that congregation in ways beyond the imagining of most churches. Day and night prayer…continual prayer…24 hours, 7 days a week prayer…God seems to be calling the Church back to that sort of desperate dependency upon Himself. Far from being merely a fad or an emotional response, this type of prayer movement is simply a return to Scripture. God’s word is full of both command and example concerning the Lord’s Watch…not using that term necessarily, but certainly demonstrating the concept of day and night prayer. It is Jesus who clearly ties together the concept of watching, with that of praying. In the Matthew 26 account of His betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks three of His disciples to “keep watch with me” (vs.38). Then in verse 39 He goes and begins to pray. After His prayer time, He returns to where He had left the disciples, only to find them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” (vs.40). “Watch and pray” He continued in verse 41 and then He left them to return to His own prayer time. When Jesus asked them to watch with Him, and then He began to pray, He was showing them (and us) that to watch meant to pray. What is exciting for us is to realize that this is just the culmination of many Scriptures that point the people of God to the power of the Lord’s Watch. There are many passages that speak of this. Isaiah 62:6-7 is perhaps one of the best known: “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” Look at the emphasis on praying during the night in the following passages: Joel 1:13: “Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God.” Psalm 134:1: “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord.” Psalm 63:6: “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” Psalm 22:2: “O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night but I find no rest.” Genesis 32:22-28: This is the story of Jacob wrestling at night with God. Exodus 12:42: The Passover remembrance was to be a nighttime prayer vigil before the Lord. “Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.” Nehemiah 4:9: “But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.” This list could continue with inferences from the New Testament of this pattern of prayer at night, even looking at Acts 1:14 which speaks of the early believers before Pentecost praying constantly together. Paul spoke in several places of sleepless nights and wrestling in prayer. Brothers and sisters, those who have gone before us have taken prayer to a whole new level. Day and night they poured out their hearts to God and He heard! Power was poured out from on high in response to the prayers of His people. And He still desires to do that today. We will not change our homes, our cities, our nation, or this world by our plans and programs, but only by the power of God that comes in response to the prayers of the Church. In the 1700’s Charles Wesley wrote a hymn entitled, “Hymns for the Watch-Night”: Oft have we pass’d the guilty night, In revellings and frantic mirth: The creature was our sole delight, Our happiness the things of earth: But O! suffice the season past, We choose the better part at last. We will not close our wakeful eyes, We will not let our eyelids sleep, But humbly lift them to the skies, And all a solemn vigil keep: So many years on sin bestow’d Can we not watch one night for God? For ever let th’ Archangel’s voice Be sounding in our ears The solemn midnight cry, “Ye dead, the Judge is Come! Arise and meet him in the sky, And meet your instant doom!” O may we thus be found, Obedient to his word, Attentive to the trumpet’s sound, And looking for our Lord! O may we thus ensure Our lot among the blest, And watch a moment to secure An everlasting rest! Mahesh Chavda, in his book, Watch of the Lord, reminds us that “above all, remember that God is the premier Watchman.” “I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Ps. 121:1-3). Let’s join the Lord of the Watch!

The following is edited from a message given at the Midwest Prayer Conference of Harvest Prayer Ministries, in October 2006 at Maryland Community Church in Terre Haute, Indiana. Every believer is called to be a spiritual watchman to some degree in his or her prayer life. It may be a watchman upon the walls of your family, or the walls of your church or your city, or God may entrust you with being a spiritual watchman on the walls of the nation. Some may have a more advanced calling in this aspect of their prayer life. A spiritual watchman is one who has been uniquely equipped by God to see. In Matthew 13 God says that every believer has been given eyes to see and ears to hear. But a watchman has to be equipped by God to see what others do not see and he has a unique capacity to see when the enemy is invading. The enemy comes disguised, but a spiritual watchman is very alert and blows the trumpet and gives a sound so that family members can be quickly warned and not destroyed. Or he may be given spiritual eyes to see something that is happening in the life of the church. The watchman suddenly realizes that something has come in and there is turmoil and dissension and conflict. A watchman doesn’t just see and observe or hear. A watchman blows the trumpet. The watchman sounds the note: the enemy is approaching! or the enemy has slipped in! In history, the watchman on the walls carried with him the safety of the entire city. The city could sleep at night knowing the watchman was on the wall. If they, with the uniqueness of their sight and hearing, noticed that the enemy was creeping up to the wall, they could blow the trumpet, or the Scripture in Joel says, “lift up the ram’s horn” and let the sound go out and give the warning so the people could ready themselves and not be taken unawares. A Family Watchman Let me give you an illustration. My wife is an unusual person in prayer although she would see herself as very ordinary. But I’ve noticed in the 46 years that we’ve been married and have had our children, that she has an unusual degree of being a spiritual watchwoman on the walls of our home, and I’m very alert to that. There are times when she hears from the Lord in ways that I have not heard. There came a time when three of our children were in university and they were driving 500 miles northwest for a student conference. It was wintertime. I remember Marilyn pulling the three boys aside and saying, “I don’t want you to drive in the same car.” “Mom,” they said, “why don’t you want us to drive in the same car?” “Well, you could be in an accident, and I don’t want you all three in the same car. I have something in my spirit that is alerting me to warn you, don’t ride together in the same car.” About 3 o’clock that winter Sunday afternoon when we knew the boys were driving back, I was taking a nap, and Marilyn came running in and grabbed me and said, “Get on your knees! Get on your knees! We’ve got to pray for our boys!” A spiritual watchman knows a lot more than the rest of us. She somehow knew that there was a need for us to be deeply in prayer for the safety of our boys. When they finally got home one said, “Mom, let me tell you what happened. We were driving home and we hit black ice. Our car began to spin and we missed an 18-wheeler by about five feet! We would have had a head-on collision and we would have all been killed. But somehow the car wheels grabbed and we went across into the ditch on the other side and the truck went by.” Marilyn asked, “What time was that?” It was exactly at the moment when we were on our knees praying for our sons. A spiritual watchman holds in his or her hands life and death. It is as if God has equipped their eyes to see or ears to hear of danger and then has equipped them to know how to blow the horn and to give warning and to call us to pray. I want to read two Scriptures and let the Scriptures speak from the heart of God. The first of these is from Joel 2:1. Joel was one of these whom God equipped to be a spiritual watchman on the walls of His people and especially when God Himself had seen the sin of God’s people and had chosen to bring judgment upon them. In the book of Joel, God used nature to do it and He brought swarms of locusts and then He brought another devastating swarm of locusts and then He sent fire. God alerted Joel in a way that nobody else had quite heard. Listen to what God says and listen to the phrase, “the day of the Lord.” In the Old Testament “the day of the Lord” was the day of God’s judgment. When God comes against His people to judge them because of their sin it is called, “the day of the Lord.” So listen to God’s instruction to the prophet: “Blow the trumpet in Zion…” – that is, in the midst of My people – “and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand….” When God was on the move to bring judgment on the people because of their sin, He alerted one of His own and heightened the capacity of that one to hear and to see. Could I alert you to your role as a child of God? God has equipped you with spiritual eyes and ears, and it is not just for all the pleasantries, but there are times when God’s judgment is coming. The enemy may be at the door of your church or the enemy may have even slipped into the life of the church and the beautiful harmony and joy and love of the church is suddenly being disrupted. God gives you spiritual eyes to see where that is coming from and gives you the capacity to understand. If this is unchecked, it can destroy the church. You see it and hear it, but you may have a tendency to say, “That’s none of my business.” But you are a spiritual watchman on the walls of your church, and if you happen to see something or hear something that has the potential of great harm to the people of God, then listen to God. In your time of prayer God will surface that awareness and you will sense a burden. There may be even a kind of trembling that comes over you because you see where it is headed. Then God says to you what He said to Joel: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm….” You might say, “I’ve never been a person who does that.” I haven’t been either, but when God orders it, then the life of His people is at stake, and I cannot keep quiet. Does not Paul say that we can speak the truth in love? (Eph. 4:15). You don’t have to speak the truth in anger or rail at someone. You can seek out someone and give them counsel and let them know that you are aware of what is happening whether they are or not. Or you may say, “I need to go before the deacons or the elders and share something that I’m aware of that has the potential of hurting the people of God.” Of all the things that bring a response from me, it is when I sense that something is in motion that can hurt the people of God. I am far more concerned about the people of God than about the individuals involved. Many times we say, “We don’t want to offend them.” You better warn the people about them or go to them and talk with them. I’ve done that many and many a time. The person may not be aware of how they are influencing others. If you are a spiritual watchman it may be that you sense someone who has joined the youth group is beginning to pull many of the youth in a direction that is destructive and hurtful. You see it but the youth don’t. That kind of a moment may come at a time when God is putting His hand on many of the youth and calling them into ministry and missions. What you see that has entered the youth group could very likely turn them away or distract them from the call of God. Does that have eternal significance? It does! A spiritual watchman placed on the walls of the youth of his or her church may be the most important person that God has set up for the purpose of helping the youth. If you have noticed a sudden call of God to care about the youth, could I suggest that God may have been raising you up as a spiritual watchman on the walls of the youth of your church. God might be at the point where He wants to do His most significant move in the next generation, but there’s an enemy who has come in. They are completely unaware of the impact, but you are not. Has God made you a spiritual watchman on the walls of your church? The Watchman Ezekiel In Ezekiel 33 is another passage which specifically talks about God establishing a watchman and what he ought to do. You’ll hear God say to Ezekiel: “O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel” (v. 7). But God has something to say ahead of that. Beginning at verse one, we read: “Again….” Aren’t you grateful that God doesn’t stop after the first time, when you weren’t paying attention, but that He comes again? Here is this wonderful word “again” the Lord came. “Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: “When I [God] bring the sword upon a land and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming again upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for me”’” (vv. 1-7). When I read a significant statement like that there comes over me under the Spirit’s guidance the question, “Henry, has God made you a watchman unto His people? Has He made you a watchman in the denomination of which you are a part?” And I sense that is true. I got a call today from a man in Canada who said that some significant individual had called and wanted to partner with them and said he knew me. The one who called me asked, “What do you know?” At that point I knew a lot more than he knew, and I found myself functioning as a spiritual watchman on the walls of God’s people in Canada. I had to give warning, because I knew some things and saw some things, and have heard some things that would create a great caution from my point of view. He said, “What would you do if you were me?” I said, “I will tell you….” Being a spiritual watchman puts you in a position where you see and where you hear. That Scripture in Ezekiel says something like this: if I tell the watchman that a sword is coming, and then the watchman sees the sword coming, he must warn God’s people, because it is life and death. If the people hear and believe they will be saved. If they do not, they will be destroyed. And the blood of the one who hears and chooses not to believe will be on his own head when he dies. But if the watchman fails to blow the trumpet and they are not warned, and the sword does come, they will die in their iniquity, but their blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. My prayer for all of us would be that when we make our way into the presence of Almighty God, we will be alert to the fact that He has made every one of us a measure of a watchman to those around us. It may be our marriage. Are there things coming against our marriage? Could God give one of you an unusual alertness and you see it coming? My wife is very sensitive at that point. These 46 years of our marriage she has on numerous occasions issued a warning of something that I was unaware of, but she saw the implications, and what could happen and warned me. I heeded the warning and I was spared. I thank Marilyn for her faithfulness to blow the trumpet to give warning, and that I heeded the call. A Watchman for Your Children When I was guiding our children, I remember a moment in particular when I felt in some measure that I was a spiritual watchman. One of our children went through an experience in school and I sensed that I must give warning. My oldest son in the 11th grade had a French teacher, who before the whole class spoke with contempt about my son’s ability to learn French and other languages. That should never have happened. I knew what would go through Richard’s mind. I saw him then enter university on a non-language degree. He took an honors degree because he didn’t feel he would live up to his capabilities if he didn’t go for that, but he remembered what the teacher had told him about his ability to learn languages. I realized there was a danger taking place because God might have such a dimension for his life that this could ruin God’s plan for him. I knew that the enemy did not need to prevail. I began to share with him the significance of him not letting the counsel of a teacher ruin his chances. It was while he was in university that he felt called to the seminary. He could take one of two directions: the language direction or the non-language direction. Because of the greater dimension to go in the language direction, I urged him to go that way. He said, “Dad, I can’t do….” I replied, “Son, that is not true. You have a brain for languages if you just use it.” So he took Greek and Hebrew. When he came to the last semester of his first degree, he felt called to go on to a PhD and in that last semester he passed a second year university level language degree in Greek, Hebrew, German and French. He went on to receive his PhD, and was called a few years later to become president of our seminary in Canada. For the last thirteen years he has been guiding that school to great heights. How significant it is for parents to be alert and to be spiritual watchmen on the walls of their children. Parents need to understand when something is happening in the life of their children that has a long-term effect, things that can be canceled if they had only been warned. Do not take lightly being a parent in the life of your children. They will be bombarded on every side, especially a Christian young person going into high school or university or college. You need to have spiritual eyes and ears as a watchman to detect when the enemy is coming against one of your children. You need to blow the trumpet and to sound the alarm and protect and stay with that child to keep that one headed in the direction of the perfect will of God for his or her life. That can be true in many directions of your life. It certainly can be true for you in the life of your church and denomination. My prayer for you would be that you would never diminish the significance of the role that you have as a spiritual watchman by virtue of the fact that you are placed as a child of God in the midst of a people of God. You can hear something or see something or be aware of something that can affect the entire denomination. Let me give you an illustration of how God alerted me. I still feel the pain of it. I was at one of our conference centers when one of our dear missionary couples and their children who were there asked to talk with me. They were on furlough and they were about to go back to East Africa. They said, “Henry, would you make a covenant to be an intercessor for us for another term on a different level?” A spiritual watchman is an intercessor. These are different roles but are often combined. There as we sat around the lunch table, I made as solemn a covenant as I could that I would pray for them. Then I got busy and forgot to pray until I received word that Linda, on the road out of Zambia, was suddenly ambushed and killed. Immediately I remembered I had promised to be a watchman on the walls of their life and I had failed. You may say that I probably am not responsible. God told me I was responsible. I had the privilege of making a trip to that country after that. I was with one of our dear missionaries who felt so close to Linda, and when we came along a certain road he said, “Let’s stop right here.” I asked, “Why are we stopping here?” He turned with tears streaming down his cheeks and said, “This is where Linda was killed.” I said, “Let’s linger a little longer, and I’ll ask God to forgive me.” How serious is it to be a watchman on the walls of our missionary families? Don’t leave them vulnerable. God will instruct you when to pray, and He will guide you what to pray, and He’ll tell you when you need to write a letter or make a call, or in our generation we can gather a small group of people and say, “Let’s go over and walk with them.” If you’ve made a covenant with a missionary family to be a spiritual watchman on the walls of their mission or mission field, keep covenant with them because a watchman carries life and death in his or her hands. God placed on my heart as a little boy an insatiable commitment to pray for the American Indian people. I’ve been on their reserves. I’ve walked with them and been in their homes. I have a huge heart to be a spiritual watchman on the walls of the native Indian people of the US and Canada. At a particular time God laid on my heart an unusual burden for the native people, and I didn’t know why God was doing that afresh and anew. What was the enemy marshaling himself to do with the native people? I made a deep commitment afresh and anew. Before the week was out, a Native American Indian Christian leader came to me and said, “Henry, is there any possibility you could call for a meeting of the native Indian leadership across America so that we could come together and you could talk to us about revival and spiritual awakening and prayer on our native Indian reserves? Could you call such a meeting?” As a spiritual watchman I said, “I’ll call it immediately.” We’ve had that meeting in Oklahoma City. The leaders of the American Indian people came from all over the nation and some from Canada. Every time I spoke and gave an invitation the whole front was filled with native Indian leaders weeping and sobbing before the Lord, and bringing their lives into harmony with the will of God. Do you think that was a moment of God’s choosing to build strength for what they may be facing in the days to come? I’ve been watching carefully what’s been happening to those dear people. God has led me to be a spiritual watchman. Before that week was out someone had come from Canada and he said, “Henry, would you be willing to meet with the leadership of the First Nations from all across Canada and into the Northwest Territories and up to the Arctic Circle? We could come. Would you speak for two days to us about revival and awakening from God’s heart to our reserves?” That will probably take place this next spring. What About Your Role? When you go to pray, God may lift you up to a level that you’ve never been before, and He will say to you, “I’ve set you as a watchman,” and He will tell you what the parameters are of your assignment. Are you watching over your grandchildren? Are you watching over your church family? Are you watching over your city or the group of churches that make up your denomination in the city? Where has God placed you in your prayer life? This conference theme is “Praying for a Change.” I believe one of those moments when God initiates a change is when He calls you and me to be a watchman on the walls of His people somewhere. Do not take that lightly. The enemy will come, but God is wanting someone to blow the trumpet. Have you said, “I’m too old,” or “Nobody will listen to me”? They may not listen to you, but they may listen to the trumpet sound. When you blow the warning, then they may listen. My prayer is that you will never again be a watchman on the walls of God’s family and see the enemy come and fail to blow the trumpet or sound the alarm. You must sound the alarm or they will never know that they ought to take warning or that there is an enemy. God may give you an insight that they do not have. The Bible simply says that God places watchmen on the walls of His people. Would you let God assign you? Would you open your heart to God to be a spiritual watchman to hear and see what others may not, and will you say to God, “Whatever You show me that is putting Your people in any danger, Lord, give me the spiritual boldness and courage to put the trumpet to my lips and blow the warning so that nobody will be where the enemy is destroying and not realize what is going on and that we need to pay attention.” My dad was a deacon all my life. He was a businessman and a very committed Christian. He probably influenced me as much as anyone. In the front of my Bible I have a picture of my dad in his typical hat and suit holding my hand as a little 11-year-old boy, walking down the street. That is a symbol to me of how God gave me a precious father who held my hand through the growing times and put in my heart what God would be saying to me. He was a spiritual watchman for my life and he warned me and shared with me. Part of what I am today is because he was faithful to warn. Again and again I make my way to an altar. God raises new things in my life and He wants to meet me for these things as well. I pray, “God, You’ve laid on my heart some things I’ve not thought about but I have now, and I want You to know that here’s my life. Do with me whatever You choose and, Lord, I’m willing to let You do it in the midst of Your people because You are deeply concerned about every level of what’s happening to my people and every aspect of their life. If you call me to be a watchman for the children or the youth or the college students or the senior adults in my church or my city or even to a larger fellowship of Your people, Lord, I want You to know I will be that watchman and I will blow that trumpet as You enable me in this Your assignment to my life.” The life and destiny of God’s people may well rest in your faithfulness to be a spiritual watchman, especially when you pray. Let’s pray together and personally respond to God. Prayer “Father, we hear You say, ‘I have made you a watchman unto your people.’ Father, help us to identify Your activity in our life. Help us to feel the weight of giving a warning when the enemy seems to be so active. When Your people are under the strain and the stress, they need to know what it is that has come against them. Lord, You may have given us unusual insight or You are about to because You are about to set us on the walls of our family afresh or our church or our city and You are stirring in our heart. Father, help us to know it is You and to remember that You have done that in other days, and that You will not let this generation go by without many watchmen. You will not let this generation go without warnings so that we can adjust our lives. “Father, even now You are putting Your hand on many who will make a decision about their life as spiritual watchmen on the walls of Your people or their homes. May You do a great work in our heart, and don’t let us ever be afraid to blow the trumpet. So Father, along with the others, I wait for and watch for and expect Your anointing on my life to fulfill such an assignment. “And You have made me aware of what could happen if they never hear the warning. Enable us in these moments of worship to respond to Your invitation which is so critical for the lives of Your people and our families in the days and months that lie before us. We ask it in the Name of Jesus our Lord.”

There is no doubt that we live in an age of terror. The threat of terrorism affects us every time we go to an airport, or cast a vote. It affects the policies of nations and the daily lives of individuals. Nations are mobilizing to face this increasingly dangerous threat. What is the Church’s response to terrorism? It certainly affects us. In some places, the Church has been the target of terror attacks. In order for the Church to fully engage this threat, we must see the spiritual aspect of what is happening. Read the following passage of Scripture from Isaiah, and see how it can be applied to terrorists today: “…Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace” (Isaiah 59:6-8). Terrorism is not merely a matter of physical struggle. It is a spiritual battle as well. This type of blind violence is indicative of Satan’s handiwork. Jesus said of Satan in John 8 and 10 that he is a liar, a thief and a murderer. His intent is to steal, kill and destroy. In Revelation chapter 12, the devil is described as he who leads the whole world astray. He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short. During one of my visits to Thailand, I heard British prayer leader, Brian Mills, say, “Satan undermines truth, is full of self-importance, has revealed that children are a legitimate target, is vehemently anti-Jewish and anti-Christian, and seeks to interrupt our communication with God, and with one another. In short, Satan is a terrorist! We see a spirit of violence, intrinsic within radical Islam, being turned outwards.” Because the struggle against terrorism is one aspect of the cosmic war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the prince of this world, Christians must step to the forefront of the battle. As in all of our warfare, prayer becomes a major weapon in our arsenal. In World War II, Rees Howells and a group of English intercessors gathered together regularly to watch and pray over the major battles and events of the day. There were numerous occasions where God stepped in to show them what must happen even in advance of the events themselves. These faithful intercessors prayed strategic prayers that changed the direction of military events. It is time today, in our current warfare against terrorism, for the watchmen to again rise up. The Old Testament uses the term watchmen on several occasions to define and describe the actions of intercessors such as Rees Howells and those who prayed with him. The prophet Isaiah cries out, “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night” (Isaiah 62:6). What do watchmen do? • They watch and pray. • They are to be on guard constantly and so provide protection. “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin” (Lamentations 2:19). • They are to listen. Jeremiah 6:17 says, “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet.’” • They are to warn. “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me”(Ezekiel 3:17). • They are to call on the Lord. “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest” (Isaiah 62:6). God has called His people to be watchmen. We are not to be passive observers or victims in the war against terror. We are to watch and pray. When we read news, we pray. As we watch television news, we pray. As we engage social media, we pray. In this kind of battlefield mentality, our prayers must be militant as well. We must pray for a hedge of protection for those on the frontline of battle. We ask God to protect the innocent. It is at times like this that we ask the Lord of the Hosts of Heaven to move out against the enemies of God. We pray that the purposes of God would be fulfilled in the midst of these threats. Every nation needs watchmen. God is calling us to the walls to watch and pray. Our prayers will make the difference in the fight against terrorism. In the darkness of our current situation, God is calling His people to be light. Through our watchful prayer, we release the powerful light of Christ into the battle. Truly, the battle is the Lord’s: “…This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s’” (2 Chronicles 20:15). Additional Reading: Praying for Our Enemies

Two young girls, Makiah and Zalaiah who are passionate about prayer and live in Sacramento, CA, decided to offer their neighbors a unique way to be prayed for! They set up a prayer table for their neighbors taking walks or driving by to stop and leave their requests. (Note: this was started in 2020 during Covid, however this idea can obviously be done in any context.) What You Will Need: Set a table out on your front lawn or driveway with a small basket or container that has new, sharpened pencils of any size, and index cards. Also, put a separate small box or basket on the table for people to put their prayer requests into. Make a large sign that says “How Can We Pray for You?” Simple Instructions to leave on the table: Hello Neighbors! I (we) would love to pray for you today.1. Please take a card, and write down a need or a request you have. You may put your name on the paper, or be completely anonymous.2. Put your card back in the other basket/box.3. I (we) will regularly pick up the prayer requests and pray over them! Thanks for letting us pray for you! Click here for A Simple Way to Pray for Your Neighbors: Part 2

Sometimes, in the rush of the Christmas season, we do not always focus our thoughts, our hearts and our minds on Christ, the very reason we celebrate. As you, your family and your church look toward the celebration of the birth of Christ (the first advent–His first coming), take time each day to focus on the One we long to see face to face. Set apart a time of devotion alone or together in community, to anticipate and await with delight the coming of the Christ Child–God’s own Son! Don’t allow Him to get lost in the shuffle of activity–even as you physically prepare to celebrate. Take time to prepare your heart for His coming . . . what is He calling you to do . . . how is He calling you to live for Him? These daily Scriptural prayers will help you to remain focused on Christ, and deepen your celebration–far beyond physical gifts, delicious food, or decorations. Instead, adorn your hearts with adoration. Take the time to prepare for His coming through Christmas and then to celebrate His Coming through the end of the month as you prepare to step into a new year! Click here to receive the PDF of this December Prayer Guide! DECEMBER 1 “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem” (Zephaniah 3:14)! Lord, prepare our hearts to rejoice! We want to be glad today, and to rejoice with all of our hearts. May we be filled with joy because we seek You and because You have saved us. Help us to sing and give You thanks as we wait for the coming of the Christ child. (See also: Psalm 13:5; 1 Chronicles 16:10; Psalm 28:7b) DECEMBER 2 “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1). Lord, prepare our hearts to be set on things above because we have been raised with Jesus! We have new life because He came here as a baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross and rose again! Help us to set our hearts on things above as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 3 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Lord, prepare our hearts to seek You! You have promised that we will find You when we seek after You with all of our hearts. We seek after You today, Lord, as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Deuteronomy 4:29; Psalm 27:8, 119:10, 58) DECEMBER 4 “But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24). Lord, prepare our hearts to serve You. Help us to consider the great things You have done for us. We want to do everything for You alone, and do it faithfully as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Colossians 3:23-24). DECEMBER 5 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6). Lord, prepare our hearts to have a spirit of unity with other believers. Help us to have a spirit of unity so that we might glorify You and share everything we have with others. We want to glorify You, Father, in our family and in the Body as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Acts 4:32) DECEMBER 6 “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9a). Lord, prepare our hearts to be fully committed to You! May we be completely focused upon You so that You can strengthen us as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: 1 Kings 8:61) DECEMBER 7 “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders” (Psalm 9:1). “I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever” (Psalm 86:12). Lord, prepare our hearts to praise You! You are worthy of all of our praise. May we tell of Your wonders and glorify Your name as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Lord, prepare our hearts to be pure. Help us to run away from sinful desires. Give us the ability to call on You out of a pure heart that seeks after faith, love and peace. Keep us from foolish arguing. Help us to desire pure hearts as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 51:10; Proverbs 22:11; 2 Timothy 2:22-23) DECEMBER 9 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). Lord, prepare our hearts to be humble. Help us to learn from You because Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light. May others see Your gentleness and humility in us as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 10 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6)! Lord, prepare our hearts to trust in You. We rejoice in You because we trust in Your holy name. May we always lean on Your understanding instead of our own so that our hearts will not be troubled. Help us to acknowledge You in all of our ways so that You will make our paths straight. You are our strength and shield as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 28:7a, 33:21; John 14:1) DECEMBER 11 “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). Lord, prepare our hearts to be sincere. Thank You for cleansing us from sin so that we can draw near to You. Help us to truly desire to know You better, and deepen our faith as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 12 “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD” (Psalm 112:7). Lord, prepare our hearts to be steadfast. Even in hard times, help us to trust You without question. Because our hearts can stand firm, we will sing and make music to You as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 57:7, 108:1) DECEMBER 13 “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8). Lord, prepare our hearts to be prayerful. We call upon You, Father, because You are our refuge–our place of safety. Sometimes we don’t even know what to pray, but You have given us the Holy Spirit to help us. Teach us to listen to You, and to pray the things that are on Your heart. Give us a spirit of prayer as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 119:145; Romans 8:26-27) DECEMBER 14 “Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (Psalm 86:11). Lord, prepare our hearts to be undivided so that we will fear Your name. Father, would You put a new spirit in us? Remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. We will be Your people and You will be our God as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Ezekiel 11:18-20) DECEMBER 15 “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Lord, prepare our hearts to be wise. We want to learn from You. Help us to listen to Your instruction so that all of our days will be pleasing to You as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Proverbs 16:23, 23:12, 15, 19, 26, 24:32) DECEMBER 16 “Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart” (Psalm 119:34). Lord, prepare our hearts to be obedient. We ask for understanding so that we can obey You. Help us to learn Your Word so well that we will not sin against You. We want to obey You as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 119:11) DECEMBER 17 “May my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be put to shame” (Psalm 119:80). Lord, prepare our hearts to be blameless in our Christian walk. Help others to see that we follow You in all of the circumstances of life as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 18 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Proverbs 139:23-24). Lord, prepare our hearts to be searchable. Father, may we always be willing to have You look closely at our lives. We need Your help to get rid of anything offensive. We need Your help to replace our anxious thoughts with thoughts that are pleasing to You. Lead us in the way everlasting as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 19 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). Lord, prepare our hearts to be peaceful. Your peace goes beyond anything we can understand because You do not give like the world gives. Thank You for allowing our hearts to be at peace because of the power of the One You sent to us–the Counselor, the Holy Spirit. May our anxious thoughts be replaced by peaceful ones as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Proverbs 14:30; John 14:25-27; Philippians 4:6-7) DECEMBER 20 “My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart” (Psalm 7:10). Lord, prepare our hearts to be upright. You have said that light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. May Your light shine upon us as we rejoice in You! We take refuge in You because You are our shield. You are God Most High. May we be counted among those whose hearts are upright as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 125:4, 97:11, 32:11, 36:10, 64:10) DECEMBER 21 “My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end” (Psalm 119:112). Lord, prepare our hearts to keep Your decrees. We want to walk in all Your ways. Help us to keep Your commands by seeking after You only! Turn our hearts toward You, Father, as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Psalm 119:2, 36; 1 Kings 8:58) DECEMBER 22 “All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast” (Proverbs 15:15). Lord, prepare our hearts to be cheerful. May we always find our joy in You, even in the midst of difficult times. Father, help our hearts to have a continual feast as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Proverbs 17:22) DECEMBER 23 “And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” (Luke 12:29-31). Lord, prepare our hearts to be free from worry. We know that worry will take our minds off of You, so help us to seek Your kingdom for all that we need. You are our provider as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Ecclesiastes 11:10) DECEMBER 24 “He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27). Lord, prepare our hearts to be loving. There is no other like You. Your Word says that to love You with all of our heart and soul and strength and mind is the most important thing. We are also to love one another deeply, from our hearts. Father, help us to love our neighbors as ourselves as we wait for the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Matthew 22:37-38; Mark 12:32-33; 1 Peter 1:22-23) DECEMBER 25 “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Lord, prepare our hearts to shine Your light just as You have come to shine among us! You have given us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God! May our hearts shine brightly in a dark world as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 26 “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:6-7). Lord, prepare our hearts to reflect the Spirit of Your Son. We can call You our Abba Father, because of Jesus. We belong to You as sons and daughters, not slaves. May we reflect the Spirit of Jesus to everyone we meet, as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 27 “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). Lord, prepare our hearts to be faithful. Strengthen us out of Your glorious riches with power through Your Spirit so that Jesus will dwell in our hearts through faith. May love and faithfulness never leave us as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: Ephesians 3:14-19) DECEMBER 28 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Lord, prepare our hearts to tell others about You! There are so many hungry people out there asking questions. Give us boldness to tell others what You have done in our lives. Help us to always be prepared to reach people for Jesus as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 29 “Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts” (Isaiah 26:8). Lord, prepare our hearts to desire You. We wait for You, as we walk in Your ways. We will continually desire Your name as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. DECEMBER 30 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (1 Thessalonians 3:13). Lord, prepare our hearts to be strong. We want to be blameless and holy in Your presence when Jesus returns. Please encourage us and strengthen us in every good deed and word as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child. (See also: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17; Psalm 27:14) DECEMBER 31 “And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). Lord, prepare our hearts to be turned toward family. Will You draw us together as a family (in our homes and in our churches) so that we will become a people prepared for You? Help us to be clean and pure before You as we celebrate the coming of the Christ Child and as we step into a new year of service in Your kingdom!

In the midst of a season when they are needed most, pastors are burning out at an alarming rate! As Christians, we should feel deep agony over this fact, especially since the main reason for it appears to be . . . us! The very Christians who comprise the congregations of pastors who are rapidly dropping out of ministry are often the cause. God has not called us to criticize or damage our pastors. He has called us to love them (1 Cor. 13:1-13), to be submissive to their leadership (Heb. 13:17), and to pray for them (1 Tim. 2:1-2). The Father has called our pastors and has ordained them to be our shepherds (Acts 20:28). Healthy churches have healthy relationships between pastors and their congregations. Would you renew your personal resolve to be an intercessor for and an encourager to your pastor(s) and their families? How can you pray effectively for your pastors and their families? Make a commitment to pray for them daily. If your pastors knew that you, your family, and others were praying for them, and for their families, each day . . . can you imagine what an encouragement that would be? Would their hearts be lifted if they knew that they could share a need or a concern with your family and you would take it to the Lord on their behalf? You know it would! Pray that your congregation will allow them to minister in a loving and caring environment. Many pastors and their families feel very alone in the midst of their churches. Often, they don’t have close friends in the congregation to whom they can go with burdens. They may feel that they can’t share needs because they, of all people, should have everything together. In truth, the pastor’s family is just like yours. They struggle with similar issues and problems. They desperately need others to come alongside of them and commit to fervent, continuous prayer and to be their advocates so that the enemy won’t have the opportunity to do damage. Your pastor’s ministry will only be as effective as the prayer that fuels it. If you want a joyful, Spirit-filled shepherd, who confidently leads their congregation into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, and demonstrates a passion for revival and for reaching the lost, then you must pray for them – and for their families!  If you would like a PDF of this article to use as a reference for prayer and action, click here!  Here are some specific prayers based on Scripture that your family can pray for your pastors and their families: 1. Pray that your pastors will always have a passion to know Christ more intimately. Prayer: Father, help our pastor(s) to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings (Phil. 3:10). Since we know of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints, may we never stop giving thanks for them, always remembering them in our prayers. We will keep asking that You, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that they may know You better (Eph. 1:15-17). 2. Pray that your pastors will minister out of a humble spirit. Prayer:  Lord God Almighty, would You help our pastor(s) to humble themselves before You and under Your mighty hand, so that You will lift them up (Jas. 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:6)? Guide them in what is right and teach them Your way (Psa. 25:9). May our congregation see that they are wise and understanding as shown by their good lives, and by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom (Jas. 3:13). Father, You have said that the ones You esteem are those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at Your Word (Isa. 66:2). May our pastor be such a person! 3. Pray that your pastors will minister from the Spirit’s power. Prayer: Gracious Father, may our pastor’s messages and preaching come to us, not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that our faith might not rest on the wisdom of man, but upon Your power (1 Cor. 2:4-5). Help them never to depend upon their own might or power, but always upon Your Spirit, Lord Almighty (Zech. 4:6). May You, the God of hope, fill our pastor(s) with all joy and peace as they trust in you, so that they may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13). 4. Pray that your pastors will be persons of prayer and of the Word (Acts 6:4) in order to live a holy and pure life. Prayer: Glorious God, we pray that our pastor(s) will seek You with all of their hearts. Help them never to stray from Your commands. May they hide Your Word in their hearts so that they will not sin against You (Psa. 119:10-11). Give them a deep desire to meditate on Your precepts and to consider Your ways. May they delight in Your decrees and never neglect Your Word (Psa. 119:15-16). Give them understanding so that they will keep your law and obey it with all of their hearts. Direct them in the path of Your commands where they will find delight. Turn their hearts toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain, and turn their eyes away from worthless things. Preserve their lives according to Your Word (Psa. 119:34-37). 5. Pray for the families of your pastors. Prayer: Gracious Lord, may our pastor(s) fear You so that they will have a secure fortress that will always be a refuge for their children (Prov. 14:26). May they consistently teach their children to revere Your commands by following their example (Psa. 34:11), so that they might be blessed (Psa. 112:1-2). Help them to manage their families well so that their children will obey them with proper respect (1 Tim. 3:4-5). May husbands love their wives just as Christ loved the Church (Eph. 5:25). Help them to be considerate and respectful to their wives so that nothing will hinder their prayers (1 Pet. 3:7). May wives be respectful to their husbands, submitting to their authority as they would submit to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22). Faithful Lord, strengthen and protect our pastor(s) and their families against the attacks of the enemy (2 Thess. 3:3), and may their households always choose to serve You (Josh. 24:15). 6. Pray for protection against the schemes of the devil. Prayer: Heavenly Father, help our pastor(s) to be strong in Your mighty power. May they continually remember to clothe themselves with Your armor so that they can take their stand against the devil’s schemes. Help them to remember that their struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Help them to stand their ground and to stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around their waists, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with their feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition, help them to daily take up the shield of faith so that they can extinguish all of the flaming arrows of the evil one. May they put on the helmet of salvation and use the sword of the Spirit, Your Word. Give them the desire to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Help them to be continually alert, and to keep on praying for all the saints (Eph. 6:10-18). Don’t let the devil establish a foothold in any area of their lives (Eph. 4:27). Help them to have a good reputation with outsiders, so that they will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap (1 Tim. 3:7). May they continually submit themselves to You, Father, and may they be self-controlled and alert in order to resist the devil, standing firm in the faith, so that the devil will flee (Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9). Keep them from temptation and deliver them from the evil one, Lord (Matt. 6:13). 7. Pray blessing into the life of your pastor(s) and their families: O Lord, our Rock and Redeemer, may the words of our pastors’ mouths and the meditations of their hearts be pleasing in Your sight (Psa. 19:14). May You, O Lord, give our pastor(s) the desires of their hearts and make all of their plans succeed (Psa. 20:4). Lord, our God, may Your favor rest upon our pastor(s) and establish the work of their hands (Psa. 90:17). God of hope, may You fill our pastor(s) with all joy and peace as they trust in You, so that they may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13). Lord of peace, may You give our pastor(s) and their families peace at all times and in every way (2 Thess. 3:16). May You, the God of peace, equip our pastor(s) with everything good for doing Your will, and may You work in them what is pleasing to You, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Heb. 13:20-21). Becoming the Answer Now that you have prayed for and blessed your pastor(s) and their families, here are some practical ways to care for, encourage, and show your appreciation to them: Submit to the spiritual authority of your pastor(s) and encourage others to do the same…especially if there are any who are complaining or grumbling. Extend hospitality to your pastor(s) and their families by inviting them to your home for a meal or including them in family activities. Think of other creative ideas. Recognize that your pastor(s) and their families go through the same struggles as everyone else’s families and be empathetic rather than critical. Give your pastor(s) and their spouses time together while you care for their children or hire someone to do so. Fix a meal and take it to them with an encouraging note. Take a basket of items you know would encourage them. Find out some things they like to snack on, or some of their favorite coffee, card games, etc. Find out if there are any needs in their home that need attention: leaky shower, car repairs, yard work, etc. and see that they are taken care of. Send notes of encouragement and appreciation from your whole family; have your children draw pictures or write their own notes. Recruit as many people as you can to pray regularly for your pastors and their families. Try to cover them in prayer seven days a week. Encourage your church leaders to send your pastor(s) on a spiritual retreat regularly so that they can be renewed and refreshed by the Holy Spirit. Use your imagination. There are so many things you can do to show your love and appreciation. Be determined to pray for and care for your pastors and their families and allow the Lord to work in and through you by encouraging other families to do the same. Your simple efforts will do much to advance the cause of Christ in your church and community, as God does a mighty work in and through your pastor(s)’ lives. May your prayers and those of many others in your church, along with expressions of kindness, care and appreciation, keep your pastors and their families safe, joyful and productive for many years to the glory and honor of Christ Jesus, our Lord! If you would like a nice quality PDF of this article including pictures to use as a reference for prayer and action, click here!

“Let us come before Him with Thanksgiving…” (Psalm 95:2). In the Old Testament, thank offerings were given in gratitude for deliverance from sickness, trouble or death, or for a blessing received. Often, these thank offerings were accompanied by an animal sacrifice, prayer and an expression of praise: “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:17). Today, as New Testament believers, our thank offerings have taken a different form:• We are called to a continuous lifestyle of thanksgiving: “…always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). • By the example of Christ, and in His name, our lives are to be a reflection of Him: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). • It is God’s will that the life of the Christian should always be lived in the context of continuous praise and thanksgiving regardless of circumstance: “I will give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is Your will for me in Christ Jesus” (I Thessalonians 5:18). • Instead of an accompanying animal sacrifice, as was appropriate in Old Testament times, we are instead to: “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, hold and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). Scriptural Prayers of Thanksgiving: God’s Word gives us so many reasons to give thanks that it should never be difficult to honor the Lord with praise and thanksgiving. May you be encouraged to begin or maintain a continuous lifestyle of thanksgiving.Take some time to meditate on these Scriptures and give thanks to God: • I give thanks to You for turning my mourning into dancing! (Psalm 30:11-12) • I thank You because You answered my prayers, and because You have become my salvation. (Psalm 118:21) • Because of Your righteous laws, I am thankful. (Psalm 119:62) • Father, I will give thanks to You because You are good! (Psalm 16:34) • Lord, I give thanks to You because Your love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:41) • I give thanks to You because of Your righteousness. (Psalm 7:17) • I thank You because You have delivered me from death and kept my feet from stumbling that I may walk before God in the light of life. (Psalm 56:12-13) • I thank You because Your Name is near. (Psalm 75:1) • I give You thanks because Your faithfulness continues through all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5) • I thank You for Your unfailing love and Your wonderful deeds for men. (Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31) • Thank You because You satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things. (Psalm 107:9) • I give thanks to You who alone does great wonders. By Your understanding You made the heavens, spread out the earth upon the waters and made the great lights – sun to govern the day, the moon and stars to govern the night. (Psalm 136:4-9) • I thank You because it is You who gives the victory through my Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:57) • I thank you because You always lead me in triumphal procession in Christ and through me You spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. (2 Corinthians 2:4) • Thank You for Your Indescribable Gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15) • I give thanks for everything in your name, Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20) • I give thanks to You, Father, because you have qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. You have rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12-14) • I give thanks to the Holy One who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever. (Revelation 4:9) • I give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, because You are the One who is and who was, and You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. (Revelation 11:17) If you would like a PDF version of this article, click below   Sharing Your Thanksgiving“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, make known among the nations what He has done” (Psalm 105:1)! Sharing the reasons for your thankful heart in all of the circumstances of your life can often be the most powerful and effective witness you could ever give. When others are curious about your response to certain situations, whether blessings or difficulties, TELL THEM and SHOW THEM. Thanksgiving is powerful evangelism.  10 Ways to Live Out Thankfulness to God in Practical Ways  1. Whenever you are feeling thankful, give all of the honor, glory and praise to God. Worship Him and lift up His holy name! 2. Whenever you are thankful for answered prayer, share the answered prayer with others. 3. Whenever you are thankful for how you have been blessed, tell others how God has blessed you. 4. Because you are thankful that He has saved you, pray for the boldness and opportunity to share your testimony/story. 5. To thank God for financial blessings, pray for guidance and direction about how to bless others with your finances. 6. Because you are thankful to be alive in Christ, ask God to show you how to offer joyful service to others. 7. When you are thankful for God’s faithfulness when you go through trials, ask God to put people in your path who are going through similar trials so that you might be an encouragement to them. 8. Because you are thankful for your family, be diligent about thanking God for them daily and praying for them! 9. Because you are thankful for victory over sin, pray that God will give you strength to overcome the temptation to sin in the future. 10. Because you are thankful for the spiritual leaders God has brought into your life, continuously bring them before the Lord in prayer and find ways to show them how much they are appreciated.  “Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise Your glorious name” (1 Chronicles 19:13).